Anglo-Saxon warrior burial in Berkshire

[Duncan Head]

The "Marlow Warlord", apparently:

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/oct/05/archaeologists-unearth-remains-believed-anglo-saxon-warrior

[Imperial Dave]

thanks Duncan,

I wonder if the conclusion that he was an Anglo-Saxon is due to other details not described in the article.

[Duncan Head]

Well for one thing, he was buried with a north-south orientation which suggests a non-Christian burial rite. That by itself suggests Germanic rather than Romano-Brit, I'd have thought.

[Imperial Dave]

true although alot depends on when in the 6th Century the floruit and eventual death/burial is....early middle or late

[Jim Webster]

thanks Duncan,

I wonder if the conclusion that he was an Anglo-Saxon is due to other details not described in the article.

I was left wondering if it was the assumption of the journalist?

[Erpingham]

thanks Duncan,

I wonder if the conclusion that he was an Anglo-Saxon is due to other details not described in the article.

I was left wondering if it was the assumption of the journalist?

The original press release is here.  The Anglo-Saxon identification seems to have been first made by the PAS archaeologist and followed by the University of Reading team.

[Duncan Head]

true although alot depends on when in the 6th Century the floruit and eventual death/burial is....early middle or late

Not sure I follow. It's a pagan burial (explicitly stated now in the original press release Anthony linked to); if it were a Christian burial the date might matter, but at any point during the 6th century a pagan burial in the southern English lowland zone is not, surely, going to belong to a post-Roman Briton.

[Imperial Dave]

it probably is pagan but not necessarily Anglo-Saxon per se. Likely but not nailed on. I didnt read of any genetic testing on the subject so could possibly be one of a few different options in terms of their identity. The early, middle or late timing for the 6th Century has massive ramifications in terms of what the local area was in terms of its outlook and control.

I am splitting hairs here I know....

[aligern]

How would genetics prove him not to be Anglo Saxon?  Suppose he was a Swabian or a Herul. Wouldn't the DNA matches be Western German or Scandinavian? Either of those would  be in the category of A/S?
If they analysed his tooth enamel for origin then its most likely to be Britain.  This is perfectly comprehensible. People  lived then to 35-40yrs. Someone   who came across aged 20 would only have 15-20 yrs. of living here before they died. Their children would likely have British geology in their teeth. So great if the teeth give a Continental location, but most likely he is second or third generation and thus British born.
Roy

[Imperial Dave]

it would be useful to see if we could put meat on the bones and determine if a 'newbie' or an 'established' A-S or even a culturally flexed British person

[Anton]

it would be useful to see if we could put meat on the bones and determine if a 'newbie' or an 'established' A-S or even a culturally flexed British person

I suppose he might be a Jute.  Were there not some in nearby Hampshire?  He's too late to be Irish and the alignment of the grave and the goods in it don't point that way anyhow. I'm not sure what a culturally flexed British person might be?  The only one I can think of is the hero of Alfred Duggan's Cerdic novel.   

[Jim Webster]

it would be useful to see if we could put meat on the bones and determine if a 'newbie' or an 'established' A-S or even a culturally flexed British person

I suppose he might be a Jute.  Were there not some in nearby Hampshire?  He's too late to be Irish and the alignment of the grave and the goods in it don't point that way anyhow. I'm not sure what a culturally flexed British person might be?  The only one I can think of is the hero of Alfred Duggan's Cerdic novel.

I think the problem is interesting
Firstly, whatever he thought he was, it wouldn't be 'Anglo Saxon' because as far as we know the term appears in the Late 8th century so may have been used a century earlier.
That pedantic point out of the way we are left with the following options

He was 'genetically' Germanic, but that might merely mean he was the descendant of Germanic Foederati
He was 'culturally' Germanic so he or his father had adopted the trappings of being 'Germanic' which may merely mean they lived a martial life with a warband composed of men drawn from many backgrounds

Certainly he was obviously successful, in that he died in control and was buried by people who honoured him, and his body wasn't just robbed and kicked into a ditch. But it doesn't tell us whether he was the paid guardian of a Sub-Roman British community, a collection of Saxon settlers or a combination of the above

But it's another piece in the jigsaw which is good 

[Anton]

Yeah, could be a Federate Chieftain.  The location is in the old Catuvalaunian territory if memory serves.

Currently I buy mixed British/Germanic armies for the period not so much British/Germanic mixed warbands.  I tend to favour the idea of cooperating discreet contingents.

I'd expect a British war chief to be buried in the Christian fashion regardless of who his overlord was. We don't have any evidence of British apostasy in the period.  Likewise a German one could be buried in German fashion while having a British overlord.

Whoever he was he's proving to be interesting to speculate on.

[Imperial Dave]

I am not convinced by the wholesale adoption of Christianity by "British" people at around the start of the 6th century although likely for Roman leaning 'leaders'. The evidence doesn't preclude a person leading a community of Germanic, British or mixed bag and being genetically or even culturally British. Don't forget, the chap could have been both a Christian and a pagan and when he died his warband decided to choose his burial rites for him......

[Anton]

I'd say the conversion happened much earlier than that pretty much as outlined by Dark, Koch and Charles-Edwards.  A top down initiative of course but an effective one.  We can note that there's no hint of paganism among the British in the jeremiad of Gildas.

The evidence we have doesn't suggest integrated communities to me.  Unless, at the end of the century, we see Ine as a legal innovator rather than someone formalising the current status quo. 

As for burial practice I'd expect it to follow the cultural imperatives of the deceased and those  close associates, likely including kin, who interred him.

I'm inclined to see Marlow Man as a Germanic pagan buried in the Germanic fashion regardless of who his overlord may have been.

I'm looking forward to seeing more information about him.